New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-01-17
A VESSEL BLOWN TO PIECES.
THE FATE OF THE SCHOONER PARALLEL
FLUNG BY AN EBB-TIDE ON THE ROCKS NEAR THE
'oLDEN dATE-yANIsHING WITH FLAME
AND ROAR-TIIR CREW ESCAPING
SOME Suspicious OF con-
lBr TELEGRAPH To THE TRIBUNE ]

| l"h iHLEohAPN TO THE TRIBUNE
sAN FRANCISCO. Jan. LEONE of the most cx-
traordinary wrecks in the annals Of the Pacific
coast occurred last night off Point Labos, almost
In the identical place where the Atlantic went to
| pieces. The wreck that Of tho cOasting
schooner Parallel. bound In ballast to Astoria,
Oregon, and the disaster would have resulted
merely In the loss of the vessel had It not been for
the explosion of forty tons of giant POWDER which
formed part OF her cargo. The chafng Of the
vessel on the rocks caused o conclusion Of
this powder. The explosion which followed
blew the vessel into kindling wood and
wrecked the end of the Cliff House
a. well as the cottage adjoining it, levelled the
| long line Of horse sheds near the Cliff House as
though violent gale had passed over the place:
broke all the glass within mile of the and
dangerously wounded two OF the lfe-savlng men
who were on the cliff above the wreck reporter
OF THE TRIBUNE visited the scene of disaster about
three hours after 1t occurred and from personal OBJ
servation and from talks with eye witnesses of the
wreck gained tho part culars of the wreck, which
| 10 almost unparalleled outside of fiction.
At haf-past o'clock last night Marine Re-
porter Hysop, who is stationed at Point Labos.
Signal Station. saw in the bright moonlight a
schooner under full sail, with all lights burning.
coming toward the shore. He rubbed his eyes for
moment to see # he wasn't dreaming, for the
vessel looked like phantom craft, with not soul
to be seen on her deck and at the wheel.
On she came drawn by the deadly ebb tide which
runs there like mill race and has carried many
good ship to destruction. 1t was scarcely
Q moment after he first saw her before
she was in the breakers, and Instant
after she struck the rocky point just
north OF the little cove which AdOlph SutrO of
tunnel fame, Is converting into aquarium There
she began to go to pieces for nothing could stand
the force Of the huge waves that rushed on the
rocks. Hyslop warned Mr.. Wilkins the proprietor
OF the Cliff House. and he hastened to the lfe-sav
ing station, about half-mile away, and aroused
the men. The Waterman who patroed the beach
was at the other end Of his beat and saw nothing
of tho wreck. Tho life-savng men could do
nothing They built big fire in the lit
tie cove and made arrangements to camp
there till the wreck went to pieces. The people in
the Cliff House and In Sutros fine cottage just
above on the bluff went to bed and all was quiet.
At o'clock they were all aroused by what they
thought an earthquake. The seepcrs thrown
from their beds Pastcring aud glass feel around
them. In several cases a great wave swept over
the wrecked buildings, causing the fear that
tidal wave was following in the wake of the
earthquake Rushing out they saw q picture Of
dcsolation. The heavy explosion which
seemed to jar the foundation of the
cliff had carried bits OF wreckage in
every direction had swept along the
bluff like a tornado, carrying away the timbers- on
which the cottage rested, wrscking the north end
Of the hotel and shatterlng the sashes of the
windows ana the castings of the doors heavy
antique four-post bedstead had been lifted bodily
by the force of the shock and thrown into the md
die OF room in the cottage. In this room
4, hal acia al n wall W
lying IN a heap in the corner. the mirror was on
tho floor broken, aud there wasn't single article
of crockery intact sheet of pla.tering ten
feet width lay on the floor among the broken
glass; the remains of lamps, statues and little
ments.
This cottage was occupied by Mrs. Wilkins and
Mrs Fay. The room occupied by Mrs. Fay faced
tho ocean and the force Of tic explosion broke the
bed IN which she was sleeping INTO many pieces,
part of its framework being thrown the
room. The window sash was broken into frag-
mcnts and no plastcrng was left on the walls. In
a room opening into Mrs. Fay's apartment, a little
child was as eep under window. The
broken glass fell in shower over the
cDid cutting its head and face badly and the pill
lows were bespattcred with blood. Mrs. Pearson.
another of Mrs Wilkinss guests received deep
cash over the right eyc from broken glass which
fell from window.
The kitchen of the cottage faced the point near
est the place where the explosion Occurred. The
stove was scattered on the floor IN fragments. The
pans and ke.ties were broken and twisted out of
eaape. The beams across tho roof snapped
IN two and not article in the room
remained intact. In the parlor the marble mantel
was torn away from the wall and dropped on the
floor. The whole back of the cottage was blown
in. leaving several apartments open to the air.
Several pieces of the wrecked vessel were found IN
the interior of the house. which is about 800 yards
from the spot where the Vessel went ashore. Ad-
joining the cottage was shed for tho temporary
shelter OF horses, and under this the barn.
This entire building was laid dat and the broken
tnbcrs were drenched with the shower
of salt water thrown up by the force of
the explosion. The same exhibited at
the Cliff House. though the building was not 40
badly damaged as the cottage.
That the Cliff House remained standing was a |
marvel. great wave swept over the roof carry
ing of cordagc from the wreck and laying |
1t on the southern vcrandah. The western piazza,
from which all visitors TO San Francisco view |
the seals disportug on tine rocks, was
badly wrecked, hole ten feet across
being blown out and tho timbcrs so badly wrecked |
that no one was allowed to walk on it. The bar.
kitchen, pantry and diningroom were almost de-
moshed, but the remainder of the house was in
jured only by cracked clustering and |
in the Cliff House. The llfe-savlng men
were scared that they could give coherent
count OF the disaster. OF the three men who were |
camped by the bonfire IN the cove, Horace Smith |
and John Wilson had climbed up Oh the bluff under
which the vessel was pounding to pieces Wilson
saId that he could have dropped a stone her
deck from where he stood. They were
watching for any sign of life or any valuable bit
of wreckage, when suddenly he saw the whole
place was lit up by binding fash. 1t seemed to
him as though they were falling into merry
hell, but before he could think what
had happened the solid rock trembled with report
like that of a thousand guns. and he felt
himself hurled back up the hill. He gathered
himself mp not seriously hurt, and found his
companion Smith. lying insensible. some 200 feet
further up the steep hill. Smltn had been slightly
In front OF him aud received the full force Of the
explosion. All about him were great frag-
ments OF rock, weighing hundreds Of pounds
incrusted with mussels which had been torn from